Shifting Futures
by Kishiro Kitsune
Summary: While trying to save Shiro, the Black Lion accidentally sends him to the future, where he encounters a much older Keith and Pidge. To them, he's been missing for ten years and declared dead for five of them. The two vow to do everything they can to get him back where he belongs, but when new and old feelings rise to the surface, will they still want to? Does Shiro want to go back?
1. Arrival

Part 1: Arrival

Every part of him ached and a lethargy that was bone deep consumed all of his strength. Shiro could hear panicked voices – muffled and distant. Familiar voices. He tried to speak, to reassure them that he was okay, but the words wouldn't come. Even opening his eyes was an impossible task. He was completely immobile; frozen and at the mercy of whoever those voices belonged to.

They drew closer. He could almost make out what they were saying, but no matter how hard he tried none of the words made sense to him, as though they were speaking another language. But they were familiar. He _knew_ them.

He knew them. And that was enough for him to let go and slip off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When Shiro awoke, he was cocooned in fluffy warmth, more relaxed and well-rested than he'd felt in over a year. He was in a bed. There were soft, freshly washed blankets. He slowly opened his eyes, able to make out a sparsely decorated bedroom thanks to what little light filtered in past heavy window curtains.

He moved slowly, testing the strength in his limbs. He had to be ready for anything. There was no telling where he was or if he really was someplace safe. All he knew for certain was that he was not in the Castle of Lions, nor any other place he recognized.

The modest furnishings made him think of Earth and a pang of nostalgia rose within him.

Shiro unsteadily sat up, bracing himself with his arms. The blankets slid down his chest, revealing that someone had taken the time to get him out of his armor and the undersuit and into a clean t-shirt. Looking a little further, he found that he was wearing dark gray sweatpants as well.

Shiro eased his legs over the side of the bed and tested to see if they could hold his weight. By all accounts, it didn't _feel_ like he'd been down and out for very long, but it couldn't hurt to be careful until he knew for sure.

He felt good though. Better than good. As though he could take on Zarkon himself one-on-one and come out unscathed and victorious!

Shiro grinned at the thought, amusement briefly chasing away his trepidation. Going toe-to-toe with Zarkon was probably pushing it. He'd settle for having the strength to find out where he was and how he could get back to the team. Keith was likely out of his mind with worry...

The window was the first step. He drew back the curtains and gave his eyes a moment to adjust before looking out into the bright, sunlit world. Shiro sucked in a breath, unprepared for a glimpse at a picturesque, fenced-in backyard.

There were simple flowering shrubs and assorted low-laying flowers, neat and tidy in their mulched beds. A doghouse stood over in one corner and though Shiro could see a handful of toys strewn about the unusual red grass, he couldn't see the dog (dogs? Or a dog-like creature?) they belonged to. A stone path wound along the side yard, disappearing around either corner of the house, perhaps linking the front and back doors.

Shiro backed away, unsure of what to make of his discovery. For a moment he dared to hope that he was back on Earth, but the red grass and the purplish sky confirmed that he was anywhere but home.

Heart pounding, he went for the bedroom door. What waited for him on the other side? _Who_ waited for him on the other side? He swallowed and twisted the doorknob, opening it just enough to look at the room beyond.

It opened out to a hallway. To the left was the front door, made of solid wood and with panes of glass down either side for an easy view outside. A staircase led up to a second floor. To the right he could hear voices and see an open arch which led to what appeared to be a kitchen. There were two other doors that could could make out, one of which was closed. Directly across from him was a second open arch, which opened up into a living room and it was there that Shiro was tempted to continue his exploration, but...

Something stronger drew him down the hall and closer to the voices.

He moved as quietly as he could and peered inside, only to freeze at what he saw. It was a kitchen, like he thought, and there were two people inside – two very _human_ people – who were much too preoccupied with each other to even notice him.

Shiro could feel his cheeks burn as he backed away, but in his haste to give them more privacy, he banged his elbow into the wall with an audible sound. He uttered a quiet curse as his arm gave a painful throb and then he fled back down the hall to the room he woke up in.

It was too late. He heard them speak again and then there were light footsteps padding after him. Shiro slowed and then stopped, knowing there was no point om avoiding them. Yeah, it was embarrassing to catch two strangers heavily making out and hands in questionable places, but they were adults in the comfort of their own home and why was he panicking so much?!

"Shiro?"

Time slowed to a crawl.

He knew that voice.

He could put a name to that voice.

Shiro turned to face them, taking in the familiar shade of auburn hair – admittedly longer than he last saw – and teary amber eyes staring up at him in disbelief.

 _Pidge_.

"It's really you," she whispered, reaching out to him. She had to rise on tip-toe to comfortably slide her fingertips up his cheek until her whole hand was pressed warmly against his skin. "We didn't want to hope, but... it's you. You're really here." Her voice broke at the same time as her tears spilled over to flow down her cheeks.

Shiro didn't know where he was or what was happening, but he pulled her into his arms anyway, his heart breaking a little at the way she sobbed and tightly clung to his shirt.

Just how long had he been asleep?


	2. Revelation

Part 2: Revelation

Not knowing what else to do, Shiro guided Pidge to the living room and sat her down on the couch, maintaining contact with a hand on her back until she was calm enough to speak.

"So I guess I've been asleep for more than just a few days, huh?" Shiro kept his tone light, hoping she wouldn't start crying again.

Pidge shook with quiet laughter, and while it was short-lived, Shiro counted it as a victory none-the-less. "It's been about two weeks."

Two _weeks?_

Shiro frowned. That couldn't be right. He took a second, better look at Pidge, with her longer hair and an air of maturity she didn't have when he last saw her. She was taller as well, standing at least to his shoulders, but it was her eyes more than anything that belied her age. It had been much longer than two weeks and they both knew it.

He chose his next few words a bit more carefully. "How long has it been since you last saw me?"

Pidge's gaze sharpened as she regarded him for a moment. "What is the last thing you remember before waking up here?"

"We were fighting Zarkon. I remember bonding with the Black Lion and overpowering Zarkon's hold on her. I... I got the bayard back. And I used it against him and then..." Shiro paused, thinking back. "And then just pain. It felt like I was being pulled apart. The next thing I remember was waking up somewhere, but I couldn't move my body. I think it must have been you that I heard."

"You were awake for that?" Pidge sounded surprised.

"Kind of. I don't think I'd call that being awake or even conscious. I couldn't even recognize who you were," Shiro told her. "But, Pidge, are you saying...?"

She looked away from him. "Shiro, no one has seen you in ten years. That's how long it's been since we fought Zarkon."

Shiro felt as though he'd been sucker punched in the gut, all of his breath whooshing out of him. All of his thoughts, swirling with possible scenarios about where he was and what was happening came to a full stop.

"We have a few theories, but now that you're awake I think we can figure out the truth. It... it kind of sounds like the Black Lion teleported you here to safety, which is in line with our original thought that she sent you off somewhere else in the universe, and that would explain why you were asleep for so long. A journey like that would put an incredible amount of strain on your body, not to mention the drain it likely had on your quintessence. We'll have to keep that in mind while we devise a way to send you back, if it's even possible, of course." Pidge rambled on about some of her other theories involving parallel universes and alternate realities, and Shiro let her, content to sit and listen to the sound of her voice.

Appearance aside, she was the same Pidge. Her spirit, her intellect, it was all there. Unbroken. Maybe even stronger than before.

"How are the others doing?" He asked when she paused to take a breath.

Pidge looked a little taken aback by the question, mostly because he'd knocked her out of her train of thought, but she recovered with a soft smile and gestured to the wall next to him. "Why don't you take a look?"

He turned to where she was pointing and stood to get a better look at the wall of photographs. In the center was a large picture of the five Lions, with each of the paladins standing in front of them as a group. Keith was in the middle, still in red armor, but clearly taking up the mantle of leader like Shiro asked him to. Pidge and Hunk were to his left, unchanged in the line-up, but to Keith's right... Lance, taking his place before the Red Lion, and Allura, in pink armor, stepping up to pilot Blue.

Shiro kept looking.

Each picture told a new story; revealed a new piece of the future to him. Some of them were taken on Earth, with the paladins and Coran (and a blonde girl – an Altean?) wearing Galaxy Garrison uniforms. A massive ship, bigger even than the Castle of Lions, painted in white and orange. There was a Galra woman who looked startlingly like Keith. Others of new worlds with a whole host of faces he couldn't recognize.

There were pictures of Allura and Lance, standing proud with a group of children who bore their likenesses. A little boy with Lance's grin and Allura's silver hair, pale blue markings adorning his cheeks. Two little girls, identical as far as he could tell, with brown hair and markings under their eyes like their mother. Actually, all of them had Altean marks, even the youngest two – a third girl with white hair and a baby boy whose dark curls were just starting to grow.

He spotted Hunk with Shay and their families, posed outside of a small bakery. Hunk and Shay, with a baby of their own, smiling down at the little one.

And then there was Pidge, wearing a white dress and happily wrapped up in the arms of a very familiar man with black hair.

"Keith?" Shiro turned to her, surprise evident on his face. "You and Keith?"

"We've been married for six years. And together for... about eight, I guess," Pidge said. "We got married right after the Galra surrendered. We had so many close calls, so many late nights spent worrying... when we finally got the chance to rest, we organized a small ceremony."

Shiro looked back at the photo. "I'm glad you have each other," he said after a moment.

He reached up, as if to touch the frame, but held himself back. It was a relief to know Keith hadn't been left on his own again. He had Pidge, supporting him and fighting by his side, worming her way into a permanent place in his heart that few could claim.

"We've missed you, you know. When... when you went missing, we spent weeks searching, but..." Pidge's voice faltered. "Keith never gave up. Even when the rest of us did, he always had hope that we'd find you one day."

"Where is he? He was just with you in the kitchen, right?" Shiro asked, facing back towards her.

"He's showering," Pidge said, sounding amused for some reason. "He'll join us when he's done, uh, taking care of things. Why don't I get you some food while we're waiting? You're probably hungry after everything you've been through. And after that, maybe a tour? We'll have to introduce you to Kosmo too..."

"Kosmo?"

Pidge grinned. "Keith's space-wolf. He's going to _love_ you."

Shiro had no idea how to respond to that.


	3. Search

Part 3: Search

Keith paused at the base of the stairs to listen to the sweet sound of Pidge's laughter, the clink of silverware against ceramic dishes, and the low questioning voice of Shiro asking more about the situation he'd found himself in.

Guilt clawed at the insides of Keith's chest. He'd come so close to giving up hoping that they would ever find Shiro, but there he was, _alive_ and unaged, despite the number of years that had passed.

The first few days after they found him had felt like nothing more than a dream. He walked around in a daze, checking in on his sleeping friend every few hours. He remembered Pidge jokingly referring to Shiro as Sleeping Beauty and suggesting he try to wake him with a kiss, which led to Keith chasing her through the house until he could scoop her up in his arms and whisk her off to their bedroom. But in between his wife teasing him about his crush (and his subsequent desire to remind her just how in love with her he was) and needlessly fretting over Shiro's slumbering state, one thought kept creeping in:

Was it really _their_ Shiro that they found?

That single thought magnified the guilt he felt.

Once, they'd all been fooled by a clone made by Haggar, too caught up in their relief to question the way that they found him. Keith was certain that all of the clones had been destroyed when he ran him down and fought him, consumed by the desire to knock Shiro's clone back to his senses, only to realize the devastating truth once he made it back to the rest of the team.

The others buried Shiro that day, but he stubbornly held onto hope.

Was that hope finally paying off?

If Pidge's theories were even remotely correct, the person sitting in his kitchen was the genuine Takashi Shirogane, who vanished from the Black Lion's cockpit ten years ago.

"I can't believe how much has changed."

The sound of Shiro's voice jolted Keith from his thoughts. He could hear Pidge make a quiet, questioning comment, too low for him to properly hear, and then Shiro was speaking again.

"Allura and Lance are married? With kids?"

There was Pidge's laugh again. "Yeah. They're actually really sweet together. They have their own place closer to the city, just an hour or so from here. Leo's the oldest and then the twins, Maribel and Melenor. Alanna is their youngest girl and the baby is Alfor."

Keith picked that moment to step out of the kitchen stairway and stop lurking just out of sight. "They're surprisingly well behaved, considering, y'know, Lance. We figure they must get it from Allura."

Pidge rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. "Comments like that are why Allura almost threw you through a window the last time we visited."

Normally, Keith would have had a comeback for that, but all of his attention was on Shiro, who stood up the moment he heard Keith's voice. They each took a moment to look at each other, soaking in the other's appearance.

Shiro looked so much better while he was awake and moving around. He'd been sleeping for so long. Too long.

"Keith...?"

That was all Keith needed. All of his worried fled his mind as he walked forward and pulled Shiro into a hug, only relaxing when he felt his old friend return the gesture.

"I'm so glad you're safe," Keith whispered, his throat tight.

Shiro's arms tightened around him. "Thank you for finding me."

Keith refused to cry.

* * *

Later, once everyone had gotten something to eat and they answered more of Shiro's questions, Pidge led the way to her office to show off some of what she'd been working on since they brought Shiro home.

"Don't move anything," Keith warned as Shiro laid eyes on the disastrous mess that Pidge called a workspace.

"There's a path!" Pidge said defensively.

There was mostly a path, just wide enough for one person to safely walk across without the fear of stepping on a loose nut or bolt or any other small piece that found its way onto the floor. A workbench took up the entirety of the wall across from the door and half of the wall to the left, and there was a second path around the perimeter of it, which was wide enough for Pidge to roll her chair through.

Pidge ignored Keith's smirk as she crossed the room to retrieve her tablet. She powered it on, bringing up a base holographic screen and enlarging it so the other two could easily see it. "Okay, so now that you're awake and I've gotten to hear your side of things, I think there are two likely explanations for how you ended up here, Shiro. First, here's our timeline. And here is the point where you disappeared."

Using her finger, Pidge drew a straight line across the screen and made a circle close to one end. "And _here_ is where we are right now," she said, drawing a second circle. "It's possible that to protect you, the Black Lion sent you forward to a peaceful point in time."

Shiro slowly nodded. "That would make sense..."

Pidge hesitated and then drew a second line below the first. "But that's not my only theory. See, we know that alternate realities really do exist. Some are wildly different from our own, but some run pretty parallel to our own. And if there was one so close that there are only a few minor differences... well, it would stand to reason that it would be easier to cross between them. So say in that reality, Shiro disappeared in a similar way that ours did..." She added a dotted line from the lower line up to the top one, pointing to the circle representing their current point in time.

"He could have crossed over from another reality," Keith said, sounding worried. "So how do we know which one it is?"

"We'll have to compare notes. That is, if you and Shiro remember events the same way – or Shiro and I do – then it's most likely that he's from our timeline. If not, then I may need a little help. Slav understands parallel universes far better than I do."

Shiro grimaced.

Pidge grinned at the reaction. "I'll start running calculations for both. I promise, Shiro, we're going to figure this out. And once we do, we'll be able to send you back."


	4. Desire

**Part 4: Desire**

Pidge yawned as she left her office after another long morning of running calculations and attempting to direct Slav's attention span so he would talk about parallel universes instead of... whatever it was that he'd been fixated on for the past three weeks. It was harder than she thought, especially when they weren't ready to reveal to anyone that Shiro was back. Slav was naturally suspicious of everything and she was sure there was no way he hadn't caught onto what she was trying to do.

It was high-time for a break, as evident by the low rumbling of her stomach. Pidge shuffled into the kitchen to make herself a snack, and that was where she found Keith, sitting at the table by himself.

"Where's Shiro?" Pidge asked as she made her way to the refrigerator to see what leftovers they had.

"Outside. He's giving Kosmo a bath," Keith told her.

Pidge raised an eyebrow as she twisted around to peer out the sliding glass door. Sure enough, there was Shiro, filling up a small, round pool with water. Kosmo sat nearby, wagging his tail.

"So _this_ is the reason you keep conveniently forgetting to pick him up new clothes?" Pidge teasingly asked, noticing how Shiro was still wearing a white t-shirt that was at least a size too small for him. It had once belonged to Keith and was one of the biggest things they had on hand for Shiro to wear.

Keith's cheeks turned red at her question. "It just slips my mind. Don't pretend like you're not enjoying it too!"

The retort sounded hollow, as though Keith wasn't really sure where she stood in regards to Shiro. While she's always been supportive of his (humongous and undying) crush, she'd never really mentioned any attraction to Shiro for herself.

As she stood there and watched his muscles flex beneath that thin shirt, she found herself in perfect agreement with her husband. Pidge said nothing to confirm or deny, lost in watching Shiro move.

And then Kosmo was there, playfully yanking the hose from Shiro's grip to soak the man from head to toe.

Keith made a quiet sound at the back of his throat.

"Oh," Pidge whispered breathlessly. "Oh, I _am_ enjoying this."

The two watched for a moment longer before Pidge gave up on her snack idea and headed for the slim staircase hidden at the back of the kitchen. Keith asked her where she was going, to which she replied: "The way I see it, we can either sit here watching like a pair of perverts, or we can join him. So I'm going to go put on a white shirt of my own."

Keith didn't have to think about it for long before he was up and following her to do the same.

They quickly changed clothes and headed out to the backyard to help out. If Shiro thought it was odd that they were both wearing white shirts, he kept it to himself, though that could have been because he was too wrapped up in trying to wrest the hose away from Kosmo. At the very least, he looked relieved by the sight of them.

Kosmo, on the other hand, took one look at Pidge and Keith and bounded towards Pidge, spraying her down before dropping the hose at her feet and taking off to tear around the side of the house. Pidge squealed from the chill while Keith laughed and gave chase.

"Get back here, Kosmo!"

Shiro jogged over to Pidge, glancing after Keith and his wayward space wolf. "Should we go the other way and try to head him off?"

"No, he'll just teleport away," Pidge responded. A slow grin spread across her face as she began to form a plan of her own. "I couldn't help but notice that Keith is the only one who's still dry. Want to help me remedy that?"

Shiro didn't hesitate to agree.

Pidge led the way to the garage, staying alert for Keith, just in case. She saw no sign of her husband as she and Shiro slipped into the garage, careful not to disturb any parts to the hover bike Keith was working on rebuilding. It didn't take her very long to find a pair of large water guns. To Shiro's mild amusement, they were color-coded red and green.

"There's a second faucet on this side of the house. We should have just enough time to fill these without Keith getting suspicious," Pidge said, handing the bigger one to Shiro.

He accepted it with a grin and off they went to fill them up. Then they were sneaking back around, peeking around the corner to try and find Keith.

He was standing near the pool, hose in hand as he wetted down Kosmo, who stood still and patient for Keith. Unfortunately for him, he had his back turned towards Pidge and Shiro, which was all that they needed to unleash their grand scheme.

Pidge led the charge, letting loose a battle-cry that nearly had Shiro tripping over his own feet in laughter. It gave Keith enough warning to raise his arm to shield his face against the onslaught of water.

Kosmo barked in excitement, loving the chaos that was unfolding, but when Keith flinched away and accidentally soaked his head, he teleported out of the fray.

"Hold still, you cheaters!" Keith cried out, turning the hose on Shiro, who danced out of the way.

"I don't know about that. It seems to me like you're the one with the advantage," Pidge said. "You'll have to catch me if you want me to hold still!"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Shiro, does any of this sound fair to you?"

Pidge backed away, a look of horror on her face as she realized Keith was trying to rope Shiro in by appealing to his sense of honor. (Much the same way as she had appealed to his sense of playful fun by fetching the water guns.) "You wouln- _!_ " She cut herself off with a squeal as strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a firm chest. "Cheaters!"

Keith approached slowly, letting the hose splash water at his feet.

Pidge struggled in Shiro's hold, though a part of her marveled over his big his arms were. He held onto her so effortlessly, like she was feather-light. Her face flushed with heat. It was one of her biggest turn-ons and Keith _knew_ that.

She stared up at Keith with wide, pleading eyes. "Keith, _please_ don't."

But he would not be swayed.

.

* * *

.

Pidge happily sighed as she slid back into bed and curled up against Keith, skin against skin. He sleepily pressed a kiss to her forehead in return.

"Hey, Keith?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think..." She hesitated, honestly a little terrified about what she was about to ask. It'd been nagging at her since that afternoon and if she didn't bring it up then, she wasn't sure what inconvenient time it would come bubbling out.

Keith opened his eyes and kissed her again, lingering a while longer. He said nothing, giving her time to sort through her thoughts.

Pidge swallowed. "I think we should ask Shiro to join us."

Keith furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean? Like, the next time we go visit Allura and Lance? Because I thought we all decided it's best if no one else knows Shiro is here."

"No. No, not that. I mean, um, dating?"

There was a period of silence, during which Keith's breath hitched in his throat so strongly that Pidge could feel it.

"It's not just for you. I want this too. And I'm not going to stop working on a way to send him back, because I promised him I'd find a way and I'm not backing out now, but he's _here_ right now and I just... I thought maybe..." Pidge's voice broke as she pressed her face into Keith's neck, muffling her next few words. "I don't know how long it'll take. It could be a month or it could be a year. But just for a while, we could try?"

Just having Shiro back in their lives was enough. It was greedy to ask for more.

But Pidge had never let that stop her before, and neither had Keith, especially when it came to the people they loved.

"You are incredible, Katie," Keith said, his voice thick with warmth and affection. "I love you so much." He kissed the top of her head, chuckling when his lips met hair, and waited until she lifted her face from his neck before raining down kisses across her forehead and cheeks, ending at her lips. "We'll ask Shiro. Whatever happens, it's up to him."

Pidge nodded in agreement.


	5. Discovery

**Chapter 5: Discovery**

Pidge woke to an obnoxious chirping sound and blearily sought out the phone she kept on her nightstand. It took her a few attempts before her fingertips brushed against the edge of it and she was able to pick it up.

"Wazzat?" Keith mumbled.

Pidge opened it up and gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the orange light. She tapped her finger against the newest message received. "S'Lance. Something about a mission."

Keith groaned at the news. "Right now?"

"Sounds kind of important," Pidge told him as she scrolled down through their group chat. "Dad's even preparing the Atlas for take off. It'll be a long one too." She sat up and ran a hand through her hair, suddenly wide awake as more messages from Hunk and Matt started to come through.

"What about Shiro?"

Pidge took her eyes off of her phone to look at her husband. "We knew it was a possibility that this could happen. We might be away for a while, but Shiro understands that there are still parts of the universe that need Voltron."

"I'm not worried about that. I just... _now?_ What are we supposed to do, tell him that we want to date him and then run off and leave him alone for weeks? It could be months before we're back. That isn't fair to him."

"Keith..."

"No," he refused.

Pidge sighed. "Look, I don't like it either, but maybe it's not entirely a bad thing? Okay, so we'll talk to Shiro today, before we pack up to leave, and then he'll have time to think and decide what he wants, without us around to influence his decision."

It was sound logic, as always, though there was a lack of her usual conviction. That little reminder that she was equally as nervous as he was about the situation helped tamp down the fire filling his veins.

Keith leaned over and pressed a kiss against her hair. "Did Lance say where we're going?"

"The Napamku Quadrant. Which is... a week of travel if we wormhole part of the way. It's further than we've been in a while. I wonder what's happening out there..." Pidge mused.

"We'll know by tonight." Keith shifted against her, trailing one hand down bare skin to rest on her hip. "I don't suppose I could convince you to stay in bed for a few more hours?"

Pidge swallowed. She wanted to say yes. Nothing would make her happier than indulging in some early morning sex and cuddles, as they always did before lengthy missions aboard the Atlas. But there was so much they had to do to prepare for their time away, and there was also Shiro to consider.

Keith knew that too. She could see it in his eyes; she could feel it in the hesitancy of his touch.

"I wouldn't say no to sharing a shower," she said.

Keith chuckled and brushed his lips against her cheek.

.

* * *

.

One satisfying and refreshing shower later, Pidge and Keith headed down to the kitchen to wait for Shiro to return from his early morning jog. Keith was twitchy, glancing up every time he thought he heard the door open and Pidge wasn't much better.

At long last they heard the click of Kosmo's claws on the floor as he raced through the house to avoid Shiro's daily attempt to dry his paws after their walk. Shiro was right behind him, sighing as he looked at the damp paw prints left behind.

"Morning," he greeted Pidge and Keith when he noticed them both in the kitchen. His brow furrowed in concern at the unenthusiastic responses. "What's wrong?"

Keith and Pidge exchanged a look, silently communicating as they were prone to do. Pidge came out the victor and Keith sighed in defeat, gesturing for Shiro to join him at the table. "You should sit down."

Shiro kicked his shoes off and set them on a mat next to the door before venturing further into the kitchen. As he sat down at the table, Pidge placed a mug of tea in front of him and then joined them with coffee for herself and Keith.

"So, what's going on?" Shiro asked. "Is everything alright?"

Pidge took a deep breath. "Everything's fine. Keith and I have been talking about something recently and we need to ask you about it too, but this morning we woke up to a message from Lance. We have a mission."

Shiro looked between them, no less confused than before. "I thought we'd already talked about this. If Voltron is needed, then I understand you both have to go. I'll be fine staying here with Kosmo."

"It's not so much the mission as it is the timing," Pidge explained. She looked pointedly at Keith, who took his time sipping his coffee before slowly setting it down.

"When Pidge and I started, um, seeing each other-" (Pidge snorted in amusement at his phrasing.) "-I was still trying to work through a lot of things. And she knows this. I've... _We've_ talk about it a lot. And I..." Keith paused to breathe and organize his thoughts better. "By the time I figured out I was in love with her, I realized one other very important thing. I think I stayed in denial about it for a long time."

Pidge reached over and squeezed his hand, offering reassurance.

"I've been in love with you since I was eighteen."

Shiro's lips parted in surprise, but he didn't dare interrupt.

Pidge spoke next, giving Keith a break. "I always kind of had a crush on you. It was hard not to, with the way dad and Matt talked about you at home. And honestly, the tight shirts didn't help with that." She grinned and some of the tension melted away.

Keith scooted closer to her so he could pull her against his side and kiss her cheek.

"What we're asking is, um..." And there Pidge faltered. It wasn't an easy thing to say. She started over and tried again. "We both like you a lot and, if you're interested, we'd like you to be with us. You don't have to decide now!" she quickly added on before Shiro could say anything. "It's a lot to think about. And I don't want you to think I've given up on the time machine, because I haven't. I promised I'd do whatever I could to give you the option of going back and that's not going to change, no matter what you decide."

"Okay," Shiro softly agreed.

They both could tell he was a little overwhelmed by what they'd told him and let him sit and process in silence for a few minutes.

"So what's your mission?"

.

* * *

.

His first few days alone in the house weren't so bad. He did, after all, have Kosmo to keep him company and the answered question of being in a relationship with Keith and Pidge to occupy his thoughts, but as the week stretched on, he found himself missing them fiercely. At first he dismissed it as simple loneliness, but...

Shiro caught himself thinking of Keith's pleased grin when he matched his pace during the times they went running together. Of the way Pidge would crinkle her nose while talking about something she didn't like. Of the casual intimacy the two shared, born from years of working and being together.

It was a thrill to imagine being part of that. He could keenly remember the way it felt to hold Pidge in his arms while helping Keith spray her with water from the hose. And after a number of evenings sitting so close to Keith on the couch, it wasn't a stretch to picture him tucked in at his side, comfortable and warm.

He couldn't help but feel guilty about those thoughts. They were so much younger than he was!

Except they weren't. Not anymore.

Both of them were adults and had been capable of making their own decisions for even longer than that. They wouldn't have asked him if it wasn't something they were both serious about.

Maybe that was part of the problem.

They both liked him enough to invite him into their home, into their relationship. (Keith _loved_ him. Just the thought of that made his heart flutter.) They both wanted to be with him. But what if he messed everything up? And if he did agree to be in a relationship with them, could he really give it all up to return to his own time?

Shiro knew one thing for sure, if he didn't find something to do while they were away, he was going to drive himself crazy thinking about it.

Before they left, Pidge advised avoiding her office unless he _absolutely_ needed something, and Keith mentioned that _maybe_ it was best if he steered clear of the garage, where he was experimenting with a hover bike. There was, however, the bigger spare bedroom upstairs, which was being used for storage, that they both recommended checking out. Maybe he'd find something there.

Shiro held out for one more day before venturing upstairs to unfamiliar territory, with Kosmo trotting at his heels. Pidge and Keith's bedroom door was open, but he felt weird just being near it without either of them around and quickly moved on to the closed door down the hall.

The door only opened two feet and Shiro wondered if it could properly be called a "storage room" when it was more like "room where we dump stuff we don't need and never look at it again".

"Well, it looks like I found something to do," Shiro said, glancing down at Kosmo.

The cosmic wolf looked into the room and then up at Shiro before poofing away, leaving him to handle it by himself.

"Thanks," Shiro said to the air. Then he sighed and squeezed his way into the cluttered space, thankful to see that most of it was crammed into boxes, which would stack nicely if it weren't for the fact that most of them were overflowing.

Shiro started by clearing himself a space to work and then picked one of the boxes closest to the door to start organizing.

There was almost a system to it all. The items inside of the boxes were all similar in some way. Clothes were with clothes and gadgets were with other parts and pieces of technology. Another contained video games. Some were books. He slowly worked his way through it all, labeling each box as he finished and neatly stacking them against the wall. None of it was likely how they intended for him to spend his days, but for the first time since his arrival, he felt like he was doing something productive.

It was good to have something to focus on.

He spent days tucked away in that room, sometimes joined by Kosmo and sometimes not, discovering lost treasures and forgotten projects. In one particularly dusty box he discovered a handful of things from his room in the Castle of Lions, including the clothing Keith gave him before he left Earth for the last time.

It still fit.

By the time he only had a few more boxes and a tarp-covered corner left to dust and organize, nearly a month had gone by and Pidge and Keith were due back at any time. According to the message they sent, they'd be landing some time in the evening, and depending on the time, would fly home on the Green Lion either that night or the next morning.

Shiro ate a quick lunch after that, eager to be finished before their arrival. He hadn't made a decision, but at least he would have something to surprise them.

The boxes didn't take long at all and then it was time to try and move the dusty tarp.

"So, what's under here?" Shiro asked himself, carefully pulling up one corner so he could fold it over and hopefully trap the dust.

The sight of a carved wooden rail puzzled him at first, but as he folded the heavy fabric over and saw the lilac blankets and a soft hippo toy, he understood. The tarp slid out of his hands to fall completely away and pool on the floor behind the crib.

Downstairs, the front door shut loudly and Pidge's voice called out: "Shiro, we're back!"

"Upstairs!" he yelled back.

It took a few minutes before he heard quick and soft footsteps coming up the stairs – Pidge, then. Keith's were a little heavier. He'd never been the best at stealth and it seemed ten years hadn't changed that fact.

"Shiro, what- oh?" Pidge sounded surprised as she stepped into the room and looked around. "You... you know this isn't what we meant by something to do, right? I mean, it looks great, but you didn't have to do this." Her gaze slid from the organized boxes to where Shiro stood next to the crib. "Oh, wow. I forgot that was in here."

Pidge walked over to him, her expression wistful as she ran a hand over one of the posts.

"Pidge, I'm sorry. I can cover it back up," Shiro said.

"No, it's fine. It's not as bad as you think."

That didn't make him feel better. There was obviously a reason why they covered it up, and there he was, opening an old wound.

"Not as bad" didn't mean it was something that didn't hurt.

Pidge sighed. "We'd been married for almost a year and Allura was pregnant with the twins, so we would go over and help her and Lance with Leo. We'd never really talked about kids until then." She walked to the corner and gently pulled the tarp out from between the crib and wall, bundling it up into her arms. "We thought we were ready, but... It isn't easy for us. We're still paladins, and with our families being active members of the New Alliance, we just don't have the time or support to have kids right now. One day though..."

She smiled up at him and Shiro made up his mind about what he wanted, right then and there.

He would go back.

He could change things if he did; give Pidge and Keith the opportunity to raise the family that they wanted. Erase some of the hurt left behind in the wake of his disappearance.

Going back meant he could fix everything.

But until then, he could give them something they wanted. And, if he was being honest, something he really wanted as well. He could live with being selfish for once.

"Pidge, about what you asked me before you left. My answer is yes."

The tarp nearly slipped out of her arms, but she caught in time. "You-? Yes?" she squeaked.

She looked so adorable that it took every ounce of Shiro's self control not to kiss her. Instead, he stepped forward and cupped her cheek, directing her to look up at him. "I want to be with both of you."

"Okay," Pidge whispered. "Okay. Wow. Sorry, I wasn't expecting..." She swallowed nervously. "We're really doing this? You really want this? Us?"

"I really do," Shiro said. Unable to resist for a second more, he leaned down, aiming for her cheek. Fingers pressed against his lips instead as Pidge blocked him from his goal.

"Keith first," she said as a blush spread across her face. Half of the tarp was back on the floor, but she didn't look too bothered by that. "Besides, I'm covered with dust. Not the most romantic. I'll go put this in the wash and dust myself off, but yeah. Keith first."

Shiro didn't really care about the dust, but he backed off anyway. He understood her decision. Keith had been in love with him for a long time.

"Do you think it'd be too much if I swept him off his feet and then kissed him?"

"Only if you do me next," Pidge said breathlessly.

Shiro smiled at her. "Absolutely."

The dazed expression on Keith's face as he dipped him and went in for a kiss was one he would forever treasure. And equally as much was the giddy enthusiasm from Pidge as he hoisted her up into his arms.

Shiro was right where he belonged.


	6. Farewell

If you haven't heard about the **Kidgezine** , you should definitely give it a look! Pre-orders are now up! (And I wrote a piece for it, for what it's worth.) The web address is on my profile. Don't bother with the hyperlink, it leads nowhere.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Farewell**

If Shiro had to pick one thing that surprised him the most about dating Keith and Pidge, it had to be how unexpectedly affectionate Keith could get at times. A close second was how easy it was to entice Pidge away from her work, which he seemed to recall being more like pulling teeth.

Mornings brought sweet kisses from Pidge whenever he returned from his run. Afternoons were filled with cuddling on the couch and talking to Keith, tactfully asking whatever he could about the future he'd wound up in. The flirting over dinner was always fun, and Shiro delighted in the ways he could get Keith to turn red or send Pidge into an unexpected coughing fit. And while he didn't yet feel bold enough to join them in bed, Shiro knew that as time went on it would be harder and harder to resist.

Shiro sighed as he rested his head in Keith's lap, enjoying the way the other man ran his fingers through his hair. "Tell me more about Lance and Allura's kids?"

"Well, there are five of them," Keith said, and Shiro snorted in amusement. "What, that's not enough? I'm starting to think you're just using me for illegal future knowledge."

Shiro could tell from his tone that he was just kidding, but he rolled over onto his back anyway. He reached up and caught Keith's hands in his own, bringing it down to press butterfly kisses against his fingertips. "I'd never."

Keith stared down at him in amusement. "Uh huh. Okay, Leo's the oldest and is almost seven now. He's pretty determined that he's going to be the next Blue paladin, and honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at all if he is. He's a handful, that's for sure. Maribel and Melenor are twin girls. We used to call them the little princesses, but now they insist on being knights. Alanna, though, loves it. Of course, she's only two, so everything's fun to her as long as she can do whatever she wants. And Alfor's barely one, so nothing really keeps his attention except for food goo, because he can play with it _and_ eat it without someone telling him 'no'. It's always pretty crazy over there when we visit for birthdays. Fun, but crazy. And loud."

"Not really your thing?"

Keith shrugged. "Growing up, it was just me and my dad. Things were nice and quiet. And Pidge only had Matt, so it's a lot for her too." He threaded his fingers together with Shiro's and let their joined hands rest over Shiro's heart. "Pidge told me you saw the crib."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shiro asked.

"I think she pretty much summed it up. We both want a kid one day, but right now isn't the right time," Keith said. "There's still so much risk to what we do. I could never... I never want them to go through what I did."

Shiro sat up so he could properly face Keith. "That would never happen. There are so many people in your life who would take them in, raise them with stories of the two of you. Pidge's parents would. Matt would. Allura and Lance. Hunk and Shay... Me."

"You'd be a great dad, Shiro," Keith said softly.

"And you and Pidge would be amazing parents. It's alright to be afraid of what the future holds, but if it's something you both want..." Shiro paused, frowning. " _Is_ it something you want?"

"More than I've ever wanted anything," Keith admitted.

Shiro leaned forward and kissed Keith on the forehead. "I'm glad. There's nothing that I want more than for the two of you to be happy."

"Is that why you said yes?"

"No," Shiro said with a shake of his head and a small smile. "I said yes because it's something I want."

Keith relaxed slightly. "...but you still plan on leaving."

"Yes."

Keith lowered his gaze, not knowing what else to say.

"Keith, if all I get are a few months of happiness with you and Pidge, it's worth it. Going back and changing things is worth it, if it means you don't have to know the pain of losing another person you care about." Shiro reached out and tilted up Keith's head. "I'd rather have this time with you than wonder for the rest of my life what it would be like."

Pidge's words echoed back to Keith. _"It could be a month or a year. But just for a while, we could try?"_

Keith's tongue darted out to wet his lips. Any time with Shiro was precious, and while a few months would never be enough for Keith, he knew when to admit that they were right. If he didn't take advantage, he would regret it.

He leaned in slowly, his eyes fluttering shut as Shiro met him halfway. Their lips brushed together, parting briefly, and then Keith pressed forward. He could feel Shiro smile into their kiss.

.

* * *

.

"You should spend more time with Shiro."

Pidge glanced up at Keith and then went back to her work. "I will. I'm just so close to... to, um..." She stopped what she was doing and fully turned around to face her husband, taking note of his unusually mussed hair with some amusement. "Are you sure you don't want to spend more time with him on your own? You look like you're having a good time."

Keith flushed. "I am, but it's not right if you're not part of this too. You're so focused on your research that you haven't spent any time with him."

A rush of guilt flooded her at his words. It was true; she'd been so wrapped up with her promise to find a way for him to go back that she'd let it consume her. Aside from shared meals and their brief morning greetings, she'd barely spent any time with him. And it wasn't like she was eager to send him away! She just wanted him to have the chance to choose for himself for once. He deserved that, after everything he'd been through.

Pidge glanced back at her computer and the algorithms she's written with help from Slav. They were almost perfect.

 _'It wouldn't hurt to take a break,'_ she mused to herself as she made sure her work was saved. Then she stood, wincing at the way her spine cracked in protest. She walked over to Keith and stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "Well, I can't let you have all the fun," she murmured as she pulled away.

Keith chuckled and chased after her for another quick kiss. "Go. Get out of the house for a while."

"What will you do?" Pidge asked.

"Probably clean up all of my tools that Kosmo's been using as chew toys. Maybe work on the bike for a bit," Keith replied.

With one last kiss shared between them, Pidge set of to find Shiro and invite him for a leisurely walk. It wouldn't be a long one - nature was the Green Lion's element, not her own – but she couldn't deny that it was nice to get out of the house for a little while, especially when it meant getting to hold Shiro's hand as they strolled along.

"How's your research?" Shiro asked kindly.

"It's going well. It took a while to get Slav-" (Shiro made a face.) "-to stay on topic, but now that he knows I'm serious about it, there's no getting him to shut up about alternate realities and the flow of space-time," Pidge grumbled. "I just have to make sure our calculations are correct and then I can start testing. Well, and actually build the time machine." She frowned, scrunching up her nose. "It's going to need a better name. Like... like..."

"A time portal?" Shiro suggested.

Pidge hummed as she considered it. "That does sound better, but it's still not right. Time portal makes me think of something that lets you _see_ different points in time, not travel to them." She glanced up at him suddenly unsure of their conversation. Shiro didn't look like he minded it, but there had to be something more pleasant for them to talk about. Something that would be less of a reminder of how short their time together was.

Shiro squeezed her hand. "Maybe you could show me some of your designs, if you've started on them."

"I might have a few," Pidge said.

.

* * *

.

She had every intention of showing him her notebook full of designs. Really, she did. But somewhere along the way they ended up making out instead, and that was so much nicer than talking about time travel.

Pidge gasped as Shiro lifted her up, giving her little option but to wrap her legs around his waist for better stability. Her arms were already around his neck, her fingers entangled in his hair. It felt so undeniably good, but there was a quiet voice at the back of her mind telling her to slow down a little. There was something missing.

She made a throaty sound as Shiro swooped down and captured her lips in a deep kiss, losing herself in pleasure for a few minutes longer. "Wait," she gasped as he drew back to catch his breath. "Wait."

Shiro gently eased her down onto the bed, and while he didn't move away from her, he didn't push any further. "I'm sorry. It's too fast. I shouldn't-"

Pidge pressed a finger against his lips, cutting him off. "Trust me, it's not too fast and you have nothing to apologize for." She slowly lowered her hand, trailing her finger down over his jaw and then back around his neck, keeping him right where she wanted him. "Have either of us told you how we got together?"

"A giant robot lion and an intergalactic war?" Shiro guess.

"Ha. Cute. I mean it, Shiro. Keith's never mentioned it to you?"

Shiro shook his head. "I think he's been waiting for me to ask. I... I haven't wanted to. It only reminds him."

"Two years after you disappeared, we were celebrating. We'd just delivered a massive blow to Sendak's forces and chased him away from Earth. There was a little drinking. I think I remember Lance attempting a striptease. Hunk says I fell over myself flirting with Allura, but I'm sure he was just exaggerating." She shrugged at Shiro's questioning look. "I have _eyes_ , Shiro. Anyway, that's not the point. What I do remember is Keith walking me back to my room. And then not leaving."

It was a good memory; one she would always cherish. It may not have been the most conventional way to start a lasting relationship, but she wouldn't complain. Besides, she thought they handled the whole thing maturely.

"And you started dating after that?"

"No, then we started sleeping together regularly," Pidge corrected. "Eight months after that, we had our first official date."

Shiro chuckled in amusement and pressed his lips to her forehead. "No wonder you don't think this is rushing. At least we're dating."

A giggle burst free from Pidge's throat. Leave it to Shiro to treat even unusual circumstances as though they were perfectly normal. Though she couldn't help but wonder how he would have reacted had he still been with them when the team found out. (Matt, for example, had done his best to put Keith through a wall when he found out. It'd taken Allura, Hunk, and Lance to pull him away.)

She pulled Shiro down onto the bed with her, using his surprise to her advantage so she could flip him on his back and straddle his waist. Pidge grinned down at him.

Shiro's hands settled on her hips. "And what will you do with me now, Katie?"

Pidge swallowed, trying not to let it show how affected she was by the use of her real name. "Now... now I think I'll keep you here like this. It'll make a nice surprise for Keith."

Shiro's eyes glittered with anticipation.

.

* * *

.

It was with great reluctance that Pidge dragged herself out of bed the next morning, moving slowly so she wouldn't wake Keith or Shiro. She dressed herself and then took a moment to look at them, smiling at the way Shiro had latched onto Keith in his sleep.

How had she gotten so lucky? Shiro fit together with them so well, like a puzzle piece they didn't know they'd been missing.

What were they going to do once he was gone?

She shook her head to clear herself of such gloomy thoughts and quietly made her way out of the room and downstairs to get started on breakfast. If she was lucky, they would sleep in for once and she could surprise them with breakfast in bed. (She doubted they would, but it was nice to dream.)

As she was gathering what she needed, the doorbell rang.

Pidge frowned as she set a pan on the counter. She could hear the sound of someone rolling out of bed upstairs, their feet hitting the floor hard. "I'll get it!" she called out, giving them extra time to prepare for their guest.

She took her time getting to the door, wondering who was there at such an early hour. It wasn't like they had neighbors and Matt always called ahead before showing up. She got her answer when she opened the door to see Hunk, Lance, and Allura on the other side.

"What are you guys doing here?" Pidge asked bluntly, nowhere near awake enough for pleasantries.

"We've been worried about you," Allura said. "You and Keith have been holed up here for months except for missions. And Hunk says you've been talking to Slav about alternate realities or something."

Pidge groaned and stepped aside, wordlessly inviting them inside. _'Damn you, Slav.'_

'Sorry,' Hunk mouthed at her as he passed, offering her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

Pidge led them to the kitchen, where Hunk noticed her beginnings of making breakfast and automatically took charge of it, partly out of habit and partly to have an excuse to not actively participate in whatever Allura and Lance had planned.

"So what's so important that you had to show up at seven in the morning?" Pidge asked.

"It's like Allura said, you and Keith have just been sitting out here for months. You didn't even come to my birthday!" Lance said.

"We called and sent a gift," Pidge replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "We just want some peace and quiet for a bit, that's all. That's why we built our house all the way out here."

Lance mimicked her stance. "Yeah, but this is something different. I can feel it."

"Well maybe it's none of your business!"

Allura stepped between them before they could really start yelling. "Okay, that's enough. Pidge, I'm sorry we came so early and without telling you. We really have been worried and just wanted to see if there's anything we can help with. You've both been so quiet lately and then I heard about you working on a project with Slav and... And it just seemed so unlike you to stay quiet about something, is all."

Pidge's anger deflated as Allura calmly spoke. She couldn't really fault them for getting worried. They _had_ been distancing themselves since they found Shiro.

"I have been working on something, I just didn't want to say anything because I wasn't sure if it would work," Pidge said, picking her words carefully. She wasn't going to lie to them, but she couldn't tell the full truth either. "The only reason Slav is involved is because he knows more about it than I do and I needed the help."

Lance fidgeted and then opened his mouth. "I think Keith's cheating on you."

"Lance!" Allura snapped, whirling around to face her husband.

"What the _fuck_ , Lance?" Keith growled from the stairway. He stalked into the kitchen towards the other man, fury radiating from his very being. "Why would you ever think something like that? I love Katie!"

Any other time, Pidge would have tried to intervene in whatever fight they picked with each other, but for once she though Lance deserved whatever Keith was about to do. In fact, she might actually help.

Hunk broke away from cooking to stop Keith before he could do anything he would later regret. "Keith, what Lance said is wrong, but can we stop and cool down for a second? Everyone?"

"Or at least let him explain why he'd say something so stupid before you punch him," Pidge said.

"Yes, exact- wait, no," Hunk corrected himself, frowning at Pidge. "No punching. Lance, explain."

Lance looked around helplessly, as if he'd just become aware that he wasn't getting any backup. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. I just... I just had this feeling that there was something weird the last time we formed Voltron and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it! You know how we can kind of pick up on strong thoughts and feelings when we're together like that?"

"So... you think Keith has strong feelings for someone who isn't me?" Pidge tried to make sense of what Lance was saying.

"Yes! That!"

Pidge turned her gaze to Keith, who had calmed down enough that he no longer looked as though he was seconds away from decking Lance. And while she was still angry that he assumed such an awful thing, it was interesting that he'd picked up on their anxiety over Shiro.

She walked over to join Keith, waving Hunk away back to his cooking, so they could face their friends together. "Should we tell them?" she asked quietly.

After a moment of contemplation, Keith nodded.

Pidge took a deep breath. "Keith and I have a boyfriend."

Their reactions were instantaneous. Hunk fumbled with a spatula and nearly dropped it on the floor. Lance's mouth hung open in shock. Allura choked on air as she gasped.

There was a beat of silence before Hunk recovered enough to say: "You know I was only joking about the harem thing, right, Pidge?"

"And don't you think I would have picked Allura first if that was my plan?" Pidge joked back. "And Lance too, I guess. Packaged deal and all."

"I am _never_ dating Lance," Keith grumbled.

"I know, dear."

"Boyfriend?" Lance squeaked. "What-? But who?"

"Me," Shiro said, taking that as his cue to step out of the stairway and into the kitchen, giving their friends a second heart-attack in the span of a few minutes.

As before, there was a period of silence before all hell broke loose and their friends mobbed him, talking too fast for anyone to get a word in. Hunk was sobbing as he threw his arms around Shiro. Lance, tearing up even as he cursed Pidge and Keith for keeping it a secret. And Allura, openly weeping as she tried to confirm that it really was him.

It was some time later that they all sat down together, food forgotten as Pidge and Keith explained the events leading up to their unexpected visit that morning. Some things – the more intimate details – were naturally left out, as was Pidge's pursuit of a way to send him back.

"So you didn't want to tell us because...?" Lance prodded.

"Because Pidge is building a time machine," Hunk said, his eye widening with realization. "That's why you're working with Slav! It's not alternate realities you're interested in, it's the flow of space-time!"

Pidge nodded.

"You're not staying?" Allura asked Shiro, sounding disappointed.

"I have to go back, if it's possible. I want to change things. Not everything, but..." He hesitated, looking at Keith. "But more than that, there's so much I missed out on. I want to be there to see your children born, Allura. I want to be there for all of you. For the good times and the bad."

Allura's smile was a sad one. "You know it might not change things for us. It could just create an alternate reality."

"I know. I still want to try. Even if it is another version of all of you, it's still you. It's a Keith who didn't have to spend ten years searching. A Pidge who didn't have to give up on a friend."

Allura reached across the table to take his hand. "Alright. Then whatever you need in order to go back, let me know." She turned to Pidge, who looked as though she was seconds away from crying. "We're here to help. Any time."

.

* * *

.

With their friends on board to lend a hand, Pidge finished up the Time Transporter much sooner than she expected. What she predicted would take another six or eight months on her own, only took three, even with testing and building the machine itself.

The day before was dreary and overcast, perfect for the somber atmosphere of Shiro's farewell dinner. They'd all wanted the chance to say goodbye, but had agreed the day he left would be just Shiro, Keith, and Pidge.

Stories were swapped, from the times before Shiro's disappearance and more than a few through the years he'd missed. Mostly silly stories. Lance reminisced about the fun times on the Castle of Lions, like the food goo fight and the squishy asteroids. (Or even that one time the castle tried to kill them all.) Allura's stories of a houseful of half-Altean children and an offhand remark that maybe there was room for another. Keith's countless tales of Kosmo's antics when they all lived on the Atlas and how he would team up with Baebae to wreak havoc. Hunk, gushing over Shay and their baby boy, Vayren. Pidge had a number of stories about Matt and her family, carefully chosen to not reveal too much.

There were no dry eyes when Hunk, Allura, and Lance left that night.

The next morning dawned clear and bright, drying out the wetness from the day before. No one could stomach much of a breakfast and it wasn't long before the three of them were standing in the backyard.

Pidge knelt down to make sure the Time Transporter was set correctly, as well as to give herself a moment to collect herself. She knew if she looked at Shiro she'd never be able to get the words out. "Remember, I can't send you back to the exact moment you left, in case I overshoot and you go back too far. Your best chance is getting sent back ten years from this moment." She stopped to rub her eyes and then stood up, her voice breaking. "It's set to target Keith. You'll show up wherever he is in the past."

"Oh, Katie," Shiro said softly, wrapping her up in his arms. "It'll be okay. You'll see me soon. I know it. Everything's going to be alright."

Pidge sobbed and buried her face in his chest, unable to bring herself to say anything else. After a few minutes, she was calm enough to let go of him, though tears continued to stream down her face.

"Keith," Shiro's voice cracked as he turned to face the other man.

Keith's smile was brittle. "See you soon, Shiro."

Shiro looked away, his hand trembling as he gripped the handle of the Time Transporter. He flipped the switch to give it time to work and then lifted his head, getting one last look at them. "I love you both."

And then he was gone.

Pidge fell to her knees, sobbing once again, and Keith went to her, hiding his face in her hair as he cried.

They sat in the grass and held each other for a long time.

And then Kosmo gleefully barked from somewhere in the house, and like waking from a spell, Pidge and Keith slowly untangled and he helped her up, freezing as he got a good look at her.

"Pidge?" His voice was full of wonder as he placed his hand on her belly, which had been perfectly flat the last he checked.

Pidge looked down, her eyes wide. "How?"

As new memories trickled in, slowly growing stronger and pushing aside the old until their ten years without Shiro felt more like a well-watched movie than reality, they knew what happened.

"Shiro," they said in unison, hurrying inside to find him.

Pidge and Keith were almost to the hall when they heard the front door shut and Shiro's voice call out: "We're home!"

Tiny footsteps raced towards them and Keith stepped in front of Pidge in time to catch a little girl with dark hair and sweep her up into his arms. She squealed and giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and planting a wet kiss against his cheek with a playful, "Mwah!"

"Keira," Pidge breathed, staring at their daughter. She felt like crying all over again, but at least she could blame it on the hormones.

And then Shiro walked in, a little older and with much whiter hair, but still very much the Shiro they fell in love with. Keith slowly set Keira down, unable to take his eyes off of him.

"Sweetie, why don't you and Kosmo go play outside?" he asked.

"Kosmo!" Keira giggled as the comic wolf loped over to her and laid down, letting her climb onto his back. Once she had a good grip on his harness, he trotted out the back door.

Shiro set down his backpack, his expression one of concern as he approached Pidge. He reached out to brush away her fresh tears. "Hey, what's wrong? Did something happen? Is everything alright?"

"You did it," Keith said, his tone conveying his awe. "You actually..."

"Changed things," Pidge choked out with a happy laugh. "You changed the timeline. _Our_ timeline!"

With a shout of delight, Shiro pulled his wife and husband in for a warm hug, basking in the knowledge that he'd done what he set out to do.

At last, everything was right in their universe.


End file.
